LITTLE COWPOKES READY TO RIDE PASADENA ROUTE SET FOR 113TH YEAR.

Byline: Holly Edwards and Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

BURBANK - Eight children - each sitting tall in the saddle, with one hand firmly gripping the saddle horn and the other waving to an imaginary crowd - shouted ``Happy New Year'' as they rode horses around the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on Saturday.

The children, culled from a group in a Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks program, will be the youngest riders in the 113th Tournament of Roses Parade on Tuesday.

They're in the city's Wonderful Outdoor World program that introduces inner-city children to outdoor life and horses.

``I started going on camping trips at the park a year ago, but I never thought I'd be in the Rose Parade,'' said 11-year-old Van Nuys resident Susana Villatoro. ``I really like learning to ride and learning how we should appreciate nature. But the best part has been meeting all these people.''

While learning the finer points of roughing it outdoors - how to pitch a tent, use a camp stove and identify plants and animals - young people also develop self-sufficiency and self-esteem, said Dave Griffith, camping director for the city Recreation and Parks Department.

``They really find out who they are and what they can do,'' Griffith said. ``They also become a lot more appreciative of nature and see the importance of preserving it.''

The program culminates in a three-day horseback and camping trip in the High Sierras. About a dozen children are chosen for the trip, and then eight of them are selected to ride in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Bob Tanner, 72, who owns an outfitting business in Mammoth Lakes, leads the outings every summer, and he donates use of the horses and mules the children ride in the parade.

The San Fernando Valley native said the effort is his way of giving something back to the community.

``In Los Angeles, what chance does a kid get to stand out and be seen?'' asked Tanner, who will ride with the children Tuesday in his 27th year in the parade. ``It's great to see these kids ride in the parade and do as well as those on all the fancy horses.''

Tanner said the children will be sharp-looking in their red western shirts, white cowboy hats and blue jeans.

This will be the fourth year for a group of Wonderful Outdoor World riders to appear in the parade, and former riders return each year to offer support and encouragement to the newcomers.

Those who have appeared in the parade say the experience was one of the highlights of their young lives.

``It was awesome - an opportunity that doesn't come along every day,'' said Marisa Milani, 18, of Sun Valley, who rode in the parade two years ago. ``I tell the kids here to enjoy each moment because it's something you'll never forget.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Volunteers help inner-city Los Angeles children, selected from riders in the Wonderful Outdoor World program, find their mounts for the Rose Parade.

(2) Susan Villatoro, 11, right, of Sun Valley rehearses as one of eight children chosen from a Los Angeles program to ride in the Rose Parade.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer